Glen Hansard, Oscar-winning 'Once' musician, dies in Dublin motorcycle crash at 56

The accident

Glen Hansard died in a single-vehicle motorcycle collision on Lower Road in Lucan, west Dublin, on the morning of 29 July 2026. Gardaí and emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 4:30 a.m. local time. Despite treatment at the roadside, the 56-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have opened an investigation and are appealing for witnesses. No official cause has yet been released.

Glen's family is deeply shocked and heartbroken by this tragic loss and respectfully requests privacy at this extremely difficult time. The family is grateful for the support they have received and wishes to thank the emergency services who attended the scene. As this matter remains the subject of an active Garda investigation, no further comment will be made at this time.

From street busker to Oscar winner

Born in Ballymun, Dublin, in 1970, Hansard began busking on the streets of the Irish capital as a teenager. He formed the rock band The Frames in 1990 and gained wider notice a year later playing guitarist Outspan Foster in Alan Parker's musical comedy The Commitments. His international breakthrough came with the low-budget independent film Once (2007), directed by his former bandmate John Carney. Starring opposite Markéta Irglová, Hansard played a struggling Dublin musician; the film went on to gross $23 million worldwide.

For the song "Falling Slowly", written and performed with Irglová, Hansard won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008. The win brought a level of fame he later described as disorienting.

You'd imagine I'd have been full of light after winning, but actually I went quite dark, drinking far too much. I don't know why.

He later recalled what Bruce Springsteen, a friend and occasional collaborator, had told him about the change.

He said that everything I'd ever been in my life, the guy fighting against the world, died the night I won the Oscar. I was in a different part of my life, in a different suit. He said I should learn to accept that, enjoy it.

A life in music

Hansard remained prolific across four decades. Alongside The Frames he recorded and toured with The Swell Season, the duo he formed with Irglová, and built a solo career that included opening for Bob Dylan and frequent collaborations with Eddie Vedder. His Christmas street concerts in London drew guest appearances from Bono and became a cult fixture. Last month he released the second volume of his album Don't Settle - Transmissions East & West. Four concerts were scheduled in Italy for December.

He is survived by his partner, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, and their three-year-old child, son Christy, born in 2022.

Just heard that Glen Hansard has died. Travel on well, Buddy. You made your dreams come true. I'm so sorry that he leaves his wife and 3-year-old child.